Let A Thousand Retail Clinics Bloom, or Even 2,000
There are nearly 1,000 retail health clinics in the nation, a number that is expected to rise dramatically in the next few years as chains like Wal-Mart, CVS, Target and Walgreens add more clinics. A recent poll predicted that there will be around 2,000 retail clinics by the end of 2008.
One company that offers retail health care is MinuteClinic, which currently has 505 locations in 25 states across the country and more on the way. The company was started by Rick Krieger when he got the idea after he took his son to urgent care in 1999 in Minneapolis for a strep throat test and ended up waiting two hours.
~From NBC4.com in Washington, D.C.
Comment: Never underestimate the power of a frustrated consumer, turned entrepreneur, to fix a problem and change the world in a real, positive way with a market solution. Never underestimate the failure of a politically-motivated government solution to fix the same problem. Health care is a good example. While politicians argue about how to make health care more affordable with government solutions, the market is opening thousands of retail healthcare clinics, with convenient hours (7 days per week, no appointment needed) and affordable prices (starting at $29), for basic health care.
4 Comments:
Seeing the market react like this is clearly a good thing.
But why did it take so long?
The government is talking like it is because the market has failed to address the problems for years.
If the market had addressed the problem years ago when it should have, the government would have never been tempted to do anything.
So in a way the government is tempted to act because the the market failed to act.
Ya gotta love CVS agreeing to pay states and the govt $37 million for giving Medicaid patients a more expensive medicine than what was prescribed.
Typical free market capitalism.
"CVS agreeing to pay states and the govt $37 million for giving Medicaid patients a more expensive medicine than what was prescribed."
That is not correct. They had two choices of generic available and dispensed the more costly of the two generics. Both generics are less expensive than the brand name.
That's what you call splitting hairs. Deals on drug purchases come and go on a frequent basis. Think of it like buying gas. You fill up when the price is good. Later on, another flavor may end up cheaper. But, you still have to use what you already bought.
But the cool thing about whistleblowing is the reward fee. Then the millions the lawyers get from the lawsuit. Some call that Looting.
Which has NO IMPACT whatsoever on healthcare costs......
But, who cares when you are just fleecing the government, right? It's not like that money comes from the poor taxpayers.....
We welcome the competition in the clinic setting. We can't keep up with demand and this should mean better prices to the consumer. It might take some routine burden off of the family practice guys; and let them focus on more attention requiring patients.
Strike the fleecing of the government. The lawsuit in this case was against a big evil corporation. I was thinking of another topic.
My point still stands that frivolous lawsuits get passed on to the consumer; just like taxes.....
Need more coffee.
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